Flu Shot
by Chibitiza
Summary: A Civilian tries to cope with the revelation that he has become what everyone fears: Infected. Now he struggles to keep and contain what little is left of his former life, and needs help from an unlikely source. Story starts in the Prototype 2 universe after Blackwatch had quarantined NYZ but before James Heller's arrival from Iraq.
1. Chapter 1 Wash Your Hands

**Flu Shot**

**Story by Chibitiza**

Rating: M, You know how gory Prototype gets.

Summary: A Civilian tries to cope with the revelation that he has become what everyone fears: An Evolved. Now he struggles to keep and contain what little is left of his former life, and needs help from an unlikely source. Story starts in the Prototype 2 universe after Blackwatch had quarantined NYZ but before James Heller's transfer from Iraq.

Disclaimer: Radical Entertainment owns the Prototype games. And I hate to admit, I don't own a PS3 or a 360. But the Original Character(s) are my idea, so you cannot have them. But I have seen the playthrough videos so I know what's going on...most of the time. I'm using artistic license to expand the in-universe a bit. As a side note, I'm trying to keep the story as close to canon via timeline.

Chapter 1: **Wash your hands**

_My name is Desrow J. Delanski or D.J in short._

_I am a genuine human being. I'm 17 years old, born on September 9th, 1993. I have a 6 year-old sister named Jennifer, a mother named Katherine, and a father named Jason. I live in what is now known as New York Zero, in the area what they call "the Green Zone" and attend a high school there. I am 5' 7", weigh 157 lbs. with a thin but muscular build, with Dark Bluish Black hair and dark blue eyes. At least, that I used to be in the section that's labeled "genuine human being". Nowadays, I'm completely different. _

_They call me an infected, a freak, a monster, a mutant, the next Alex Mercer, an Evolved, Tango Secondary, Tango Primary, Gentek's prized test subject/specimen, the Holy Grail of all biological studies, a superhero, a kid all caught up in shit he's not supposed to be in. In a weird twisted way, I'm a bit of all of the things they call me._

_I used to be a regular person, a seventeen year-old high school student living in the Green Zone of New York Zero. Waiting for the whole "second outbreak spiel" to die down and be done with as if it was the seasonal flu. But, that's all changed one day. That one day when everything in my life went to hell. That day I met Alex Mercer._

**_This is my story of what happened on that day and what happened_**** after.**

* * *

_Green Zone - Lincoln Meadows_

_Fall 2010 _

*Knock-knock*

My dream was broken by my mom softly knocking on the door *tap tap tap*. I groan aloud not in annoyance but to show that I'm mentally awake at the least. The last images of my dream vaporized, and then rematerialized in front of me when I unknowingly fall asleep again. Again, my mom woke me up knocking on the door sometime later. This time, much louder to indicate her patience was running out and to make sure I stayed awake this time.

"Come on, Honey. Wake up. We don't want Blackwatch to barge into the apartment again." I hear her voice from behind the door.

That got me up. I spring to my feet and quickly maneuvered my way around the messy floor - strewn about with my copies of the Monster Hunter games - to my dresser. Yeah. Blackwatch. The supposedly nonexistent branch of the government that defends us from biological infection. Infection my ass. And Gentek, the science division who "supposedly works hard to examine and develop a cure to the Mercer virus". More like finding a way to make it into another weapon without having it backfire like in Alex Mercer's Case. Hell, I'm not even sure how they managed to get authority from the American Government to dick around in the NYZ, let alone have it okay with the people outside the NYZ.

Now dressed in a white shirt decorated with a single angel wing on the front, brown khaki pants, and a white hoodie with red trim, I head over to the kitchen to make my quick to-go breakfast - usually a Jimmy Deans Breakfast Croissant - and head out the door to school.

"Be safe Desrow. Don't head into any kind of school or military trouble."

"I will mom. I'm heading out."

* * *

_Green Zone - Lincoln Meadows High School_

"Mr. Delanski!"

I snapped out of my trance and looked up to see my biology teacher giving me a stern look.

"Um sorry, I was disconnected from reality."

"Well maybe you should stay connected with reality to learn why some viruses have a long incubation period instead of being lost in your fantasy build-your-own-monster lab in your notebook." the teacher said sarcastically. I scowled in embarrassment as I heard several students around me snicker audibly. I mentally groaned, wishing that the teacher would just shut his yap. Despite all of the events that relate to the quarantining of NYZ and the oppression the non-military population of the city is put under, my AP biology teacher still has the nerve at the wrong time to abuse the students. At least it was a blessing for all of us in the Green Zone that they let Lincoln Meadows High stay open for god's sake. In frustration and resignation, I closed my notepad to show my teacher I am now giving him my undivided attention. Giving me a smug look, he went on to continue his lecture.

A bit of a personal back-story while the teacher rambles on with the lecture of the day; the notepad I had out is full of pictures of monsters that I create in my spare time, completely detailed from its anatomy to its zoology and everything in between. This all started when way back then in my early teenage years, when my father overseas would send me videogames of the "Monster Hunter" series for Christmas and I would be awed by how detailed and fantastic the monsters would be but would somehow be tied to the environment like it was actually meant to live there. Since then, I've been drawing monsters on pieces of paper, taking art and biology classes help me with my knowledge of what fits with what in hopes to make a proposal to CAPCOM and show my work and have them incorporate them into future installments. I also like to draw humanoid monsters and mutated humans as well from the inspiration around me (courtesy of Alex Mercer).

The school bell rings, signaling the end of school. Finally. I quickly pack my notepad and binders and bolt for my locker, being the first out of the door. I have a personal habit of sprinting through the school halls on break periods (which is something highly dangerous and frowned upon), taking a few turns here, swerving and sliding between legs of several students there, and a close call somewhere in between before skidding to a stop at my locker. For a brief moment, I stood idly contemplating my assignments for the day.

_Hmm... I have AP Bio notes to finish and some bookwork on today's lecture. I just handed in one of my monster drawings for an art assignment so_ _I should be good there. And for math..._ I snap my fingers, as if it was going to help me remember the thought.

"Oh hey Dezzie. Nice seeing you here. Wanna play 'kill the Infected?" A voice sounded from behind interrupted my train of thought, clearly audible above the student generated white noise to my ear.

I don't even bother looking back, knowing full well who it was. Standing 6' 5" Weighing 180 lbs with the body of a Varsity team football captain with all A's and an A+ in big egos and jackassery (extra credit for him becoming a Blackwatch-wannabe), Chandler Broadenstein was a pain to everyone, even in the Green Zone.

_Goddamnit. Why does that fucker always have a dick to pick on me of all people?_

Then again, I'm easy to pick out in a crowd being 5' 7" and the only one who has naturally growing midnight blue hair. I sigh inwardly and slowly turned around. I see two other students flanking the bully, presumed to his football friends who hang out with him since they had as much beef pounded into them as he. The three of them spaced out enough to be a distinctive group in the hall and have student traffic flow around them, but not enough for me to let a person of interest slip by without getting caught.

_Wonderful_.

"No thank you the time slot for an appointment with your would be victim has already been taken come again thank you." I said this in casual manner, walking past them to get back into student traffic that would give me some protection from what I can anticipate is a secluded bully beat down. A strong hand was slapped down on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I know Chandler's hand feels when it's on me. Trust me, my gut, my head, and manhood had bad relationships with it.

"Well too bad" Chandler sneered "we're playing the game right now, and you're _infected_." There was a moment where everything somehow went stark still. I stood idle with Chandler's hand still on my shoulder, Chandler stood idle as well. Then from some unknown signal, I wrenched his hand off my shoulder and made a run for it. Chandler and his cohorts were caught off guard by this and from what I can tell from the resounding footsteps behind me I was a head of them by three seconds in my haste to get away from them and out of the school.

"Get back here, you little fuck!"

I ignored the shouts and concentrated on getting through the throngs of civilians and several other students in the front courtyard in hopes of losing them in the large park in front of the school.

But at that point I was winded, exhausted, and Chandler's gang were quickly catching up. _Come on, keep moving!_ I urged myself. Looking back, I see Chandler - easily distinguishable from the Varsity jacket he wore - and his cohorts closing in. I quickly turned a corner - and barely managed to swerve out of the way of a roving military patrol squad. Chandler wasn't so lucky, and collided with the squad with the momentum of a bowling ball against line up of pins before tripping over himself. His cohorts had the fortune to stop short and watched the commotion, forgetting the objective of chasing me down.

As much as I would love to hang around and see the jock suffer, I didn't want to hang around to see the scene play out. I quickly ran back around the corner carefully and ran into the park for my personal safety. Better him than me anyways. A thought occurred to me along the way that I already had the books I needed for today's homework and that my trip to my locker was completely unnecessary. I mentally smacked myself for being so disconnected to reality.

_I'm such an idiot; I did take my prescription of Vyvanse this morning right?_

My head didn't provide me the memory so I was left clueless a few neuron pulses later.

My body was still shaken from lack of adrenaline, but I quickly found a nearby park bench to sit down. Now sitting down and inert, I feel the rush of exhaustion and relief flow through my body. Automatically, I pulled out my cell phone and began to browse through my text message inbox for any new messages, expecting a large number.

_2 new text messages._

Well, that was unexpected. But with the outbreak about and many of my friends have already evacuated, I wouldn't complain for the lack of social activity within my circle.

I scroll down and open the first one.

_SC_HwangG6: Dude, saw you running out the school so crazy fast. What happened?_

Automatically, I texted in my response.

_DJ_Des17: Chandler wanted to play "get the infected". Again._

_SC_HwangG6: Well, if you're here right now, I'm guessing you got away. Right?_

_DJ_Des17: Yup._

_SC_HwangG6: Nice to know. But I g2g. Later._

I closed the chat log and went to open the other new message.

_Kate_D: Hi Des! How was School? Are you okay? Did you turn in your homework? By the way, I have good news from your Dad!_

I sighed inwardly in embarrassment. Although Mom isn't old fashioned, she gets nosey about my social life and tends to create numerous awkward moments by joining an online chat with my friends. Still, it's my mother that's texting me and this system does have its upsides.

_DJ_Des17: Hi mom, I'm fine. And yes, I did turn in my homework. What's the news?_

_Kate_D: It's a surprise. Come home and I'll tell you. But not now, I'm still busy at work and I have many customers waiting. Come home safely though and be back at home by 9!_

_DJ_Des17: Okay, I'll take care of myself._

Discussion closed, I locked my phone and put it back where I keep it, taking note of the clock on the phone reading 2:45 pm. This leaves me about 6 hours of free time, if I were to return home at nine o' clock. Perfect. I had the urge to get up from the bench but decided instead to view the scenery, gazing at the long line of buildings and traffic that stretched from one end to the other in a different section of the large central park nestled in the Green Zone.

From one end, I see a bar with a 1950s theme. Next to it, a theater that likely was showing propaganda packed educational flicks and ones that had been Blackwatch-approved obviously.

On the other side of the bar was a Japanese steakhouse, followed by a small plaza, a brothel, another bar who's neon blue sign labeled "Tavern"... wait, What? A Brothel?

I did a double take on the building sign that labeled "XXX" and stared at the building advertisement above in disbelief.

- Hot Girls at the Playhouse - It read, There was a white silhouette of a stripper and the bottom of the advertisement had an exaggerated rating of seven stars.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me._ _Of all things that I didn't notice since Blackwatch's takeover, it had to be the_ _brothel_.

Bah, screw the brothel. Hell if I care. By now I had recovered my stamina and hauled myself and my stuff off the bench as I was stressed from the constant hustle and bustle by now and wanted a quieter place to unwind and work on my sketches.

* * *

There's a place in the large central park of the Green Zone that I often go to unwind for sketching. Isolated, quiet, and very few people adventurous enough usually find this place. Nestled under a pedestrian bridge and a steep hill is a small grotto that was a long time ago dug up by high school dropouts to stash their drugs and hang out to get buzzed. However, they didn't use it for long after the events of the first outbreak 14 months ago forced the parents of many to move out along with their kids and abandoned the place was soon after. How I came upon the place was by pure accident when I went on a walk in the park during the winter last year, and stumbled upon it when I slipped on some ice and fell down the hillside.

Since my discovery of the hideout, I've been using it liberally as a quiet spot. Its dry but cold interior gives me a sense of being placed in a primitive setting where the primordial beasts of the prehistoric age ruled, giving me lots of inspiration to draw upon on my daily pastime of drawing.

It felt very nice to enter the grotto, even therapeutic. Sitting down on a large rock just inside the cave entrance so I would have enough lighting to draw, I slipped off my Backpack to rummage for my sketchpad and graphite pens. Getting out my sketchpad, I flipped open the book to the drawing I had just been working on earlier that day - A rendition of bio-armor mutation that's designed for amphibious and camouflage - and let the imagination flow. Until something loomed over the entrance and blocked my light. I just had enough of this with people interrupting my quiet time. I was half expecting the person to be Chandler and was already prepared to put up a fight.

"Alright Chandler, what the fuck do you-" I stopped short. The person who was standing at the cave entrance wasn't Chandler Broadenstein, as the answer was not even close.

It was Alex Mercer.

There have been times where I have been scared, as the feeling of fear and suspense can get anyone's heart racing. And I've heard of people claiming to have been scared shitless but have been very skeptical of their descriptions of fear. But encountering Alex Mercer would count as one of the most horrible and fear inducing times I would remember. My fight or flight instinct instantly went dead. Something caught my breath leaving me unable to breathe or even swallow the saliva that was beginning to accumulate.

_What should I do? Should I run? If I run then that would make me a coward and Alex will either kill me or consume me. But if I fight, he'll kill me without a second thought as if it was just as basic as breathing. _

"What...what do you have planned for me?" those words went right out of my mouth before I had the realization and consciously order myself to keep quiet. Why did I even say that? I am surely going to die by then.

Alex didn't respond to my question. Instead, he started to slowly walk towards me. The terror in me skyrocketed, and my instincts finally found a decision and cranked it to flight full-stop. But the sudden energy and adrenaline surge came at a dexterity cost and instead of getting up and bolting at running speed, I bolted, stumbled from the imbalance and footing, then flopped to the ground, cutting one of my hands on a sharp object in the process. _Shit!_ I scrambled to my back and backpedaled only to be swiftly pulled up off my feet and slammed against the cave wall with one hand on my neck and cutting off my air circulation, My vision and air supply rapidly turning black, I feebly tried to pry his fingers off in a futile attempt, knowing that the hand he's using has the strength to destroy a tank just by throwing a artillery shell at it.

"Hmm..." In my fuzzy vision, Alex looked at me as if he was amused by something and started to look at me more closely. He stared at me for what looked like forever while my life was slowly extinguished from hypoxia. Then as if by some grace, he let go of me. Dropping me to the floor, where I quickly choked and gasped for air on the ground.

"Interesting..." I hear him say as if in amusement. I looked at him in bewilderment and fear in what might happen since anything I might do would mean instant death. He stooped down to pick up my drawing pad and quickly thumbed through the pages, occasionally flipping its orientation to look at the pictures the right way or pausing to read the descriptions I spent hours writing or flipping back to a page he previously skipped. The sight of seeing Alex Mercer looking at my drawings instead of killing me is strange. Isn't he supposed to be a sociopath and a scientist? But still, if my sketches are what saved me, I'm now madly praying to whatever art god there is to keep him interested enough to let me go. After what seemed like minutes, he (surprisingly) closed the book and (even more surprisingly) placed it back in my school bag. Then he turned to me. My blood instantly froze and the sheer terror drained me of my pigment.

He had a smile on his face.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked. Never had such an innocent question frighten me beyond death.

"Desrow" I answered automatically. "D-Desrow J. Delanski"

_What the HELL Desrow? You're one heartbeat away from getting killed by this psychopath and yet you're being polite at a time like THIS? _But I had to answer the question, its common courtesy to be polite and answer. Being polite and courteous even in the face of death should count as a redeeming quality when death takes me to heaven.

"Well Desrow," Alex began, that dangerous smile grew even wider. Again I was picked up and slammed to the wall by the neck.

"Today's your lucky day!"

"How the hell is it my lucky day?" I croaked out loud.

"Well for starters..." he began.

A sharp and overwhelming sensation came from my stomach. I glanced down and could only stare in horror at his hand or appendage, buried into my stomach, injecting a foreign liquid that I knew would be the blacklight virus.

He then pulled up close and whispered in my ear. "You're going to evolve today into something better."

As quickly as he stabbed me, he withdrew his arm - now reformed into a normal human arm - and let go of my neck.

I've been sick before, the occasional common cold, flu and allergies giving me a seasonal reminder that the word "disease" still exists. If pestilence was a religion, then the Blacklight virus would be Jesus or even God. I crumpled to the floor in shock at the symptoms Blacklight started to wail onto my physical existence. In short: The most horrible illness I've experienced. Chills, Fevers, Nausea, hot flashes, rashes, allergies, convulsions, overwhelmed my immune system. And that was just the beginning. It took all of my mental strength just to stay conscious. And screaming in pain didn't help either as my lungs and throat was bombarded with every respiratory disease in the book. On the outside, I could see my skin and tissue mutate and wriggle in a bloody red texture worming in and out every square inch of my body.

"You can thank your DNA, Des." said Alex. I see him crouch down on his haunches, to be at equal eye level with my eyes. The pain from Blacklight was climbing to a point of blacking out.

"Turns out your genes have a special trait that I desire. However, consuming you would ruin that trait as well as wasting-"

That was the last thing I remember, as the pain was too much and my body began to shutdown. Then everything stopped.


	2. 2 Take a Shower

Chapter 2: **Take a Shower**

Cold. I feel cold and sore. Cold and sore with a very bad headache. Those were probably the first physical sensations that I feel and the headache was the feeling that woke me up. I try to move my hand to hold my head in relief only to feel more pain from the stiffness of tense muscles locked up from lying prone for how long? I can't really tell. Consciousness has rebooted and is now one-hundred percent fully functional. Nerve signals were now flooding my brain with reports of pain, stiffness, numbing cold at the extremities, sore muscles, and more pain as well as questions and answers with many more questions unanswered.

_Am I dead? I think Not._

_Am I alive? Yes, I feel pain. Feeling pain is a trustworthy indicator that I'm alive._

My eyes slowly open, in a slow effort to open them and break out of the dry cage of discharge on my eyelashes. I see only darkness.

_Where am I?_

Slowly as my muscles slowly reboot, I feel the soreness being worked out as I start to cautiously flex my muscles and limbs, and I feel my body heat returning to a normal temperature. From my crumpled position, I slowly ease myself into sitting, supported by one hand while the other hand is clutching my head to comfort the fading headache. After a few seconds, the headache is gone, and, just like waking up from sleep, I wearily rub my eyes to clear them. I look around and see only pitch black, but after a few minutes my eyes had adjusted to the dark, and I can see a large light source coming from my side and illuminating much of my surroundings, revealing them to be a rocky cave. A figurative light bulb lights up in my head in realization of my current location.

This is the alcove in the park where I would spend time drawing after school.

I am now fully alert, roll over to my feet, and, still unsteady, rise with patience. The next self-check question hit me hard.

_What happened?_

An image of Alex Mercer at the mouth of the cave showed up in my mind followed by a horrifying stab to my abdomen. I feel a shiver run down my spine although I am now perfectly warmed up.

_No. It couldn't have happened. If Alex Mercer did do what he did, my drawing pad would've been ruined._

I quickly look around for signs of a carelessly tossed and neglected sketchbook—only to find none. I walk over to my schoolbag and open it to find the object I was looking for neatly tucked away.

_There's my sketchpad, it couldn't have ha-_

There was another memory that surfaced, this time showing Alex looking through my sketchpad and later putting it away in to my schoolbag. I froze and suddenly felt cold.

_No. No he didn't. If he did stab me, then there would've been holes in my shirt. That's the only concrete proof that he did stab me._

Part of me told me not to look, to deny everything and dismiss the fact, saying if I looked and saw the evidence my fate would already be sealed. I would be cursed to carry this virus and spread it where ever I go until there is no one left on earth but me and the earth's incarnation of the devil, Mercer. But my mind was saying that there would be more guilt weighed on my mind if I didn't look and I was what I feared. But I had already decided. I looked down.

There, right there where my t-shirt would be covering was a hole -no-, a simple small tear in my favorite shirt cannot describe it. The "hole" had taken out the whole front section of my shirt, which now lacked the picture of a single angel wing and was held together by the collar and a small portion of what remained of the front of my shirt.

I suddenly felt weak and my knees buckled from the weight of the cold hard truth.

I was personally _infected_ by Alex Mercer.

I suddenly felt so horrified, so depressed, so scared to even walk home. I see myself looking all perfectly fine when coming home, days later start to feel sick and vomit. Mom would call Gentek, Blackwatch would be dispatched to round up the whole apartment, killing or capturing mom, sis, and I for research and for the sake of national security and for the sake of humanity. This imaginary scenario played in my head with many variations. All with the same ending. Tears started rolling down my eyes. I just can't... I can't...

A ringtone slices the silence into two among the white noise of the city, making me jump in fright and out of my depressing thoughts. I looked at the source and see it coming from my book bag. Flipping open the bag, I easily find the source of the tune from the music and the back light coming from the LED touchscreen. My cellphone was ringing with a call from mom. The horror of the recent revelation comes into my mind, its weight of truth bearing down on my mind. What should I do? Should I not answer the phone call? But my hands had pushed the talk button and the phone was already in my ear, receiving the first payload of mom's worried-sick attitude and berating on high volume.

"Hello?"

"Desrow Delanski! Where have you been? I've been worried sick! It's eleven forty-two and you're not home, I've called your phone forty times!"

My stomach plummeted into the abyss, and for a moment, I hesitated to answer as if mom had a superpower to know the truth from the lie.

"I-I'm fine mom, I'm sorry. I...I'm at my usual spot in Lincoln Meadows Park." I said. My breaths were getting choppy, my stomach bottomed out and I was literally quivering in fear.

I hear my mom give a large sigh of relief. "Thank god you're alive and okay in one piece." Somehow _okay _didn't seem to fit my condition anymore.

"Honey, I'm going to take a taxi to pick you up. We'll meet at the corner at the Japanese steakhouse."

"No!" I blurted out. "I can walk home mom."

"Des, It's about fifteen until midnight and its dark outside. Blackwatch will be making their-"

"Mom. I'm seventeen, I know my way around Lincoln Meadows, I'm fine, and I can walk on two legs, so I'm walking."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. I can't imagine the look on mom's worried face in deciding whether or not to say yes or no. Finally, I get a response.

"Come home ASAP. You'd better have a good reason when you get home." There was a tone of resignation and worry still there.

"Don't worry mom, I'll get home as fast as I can manage." I reassured her, then hung up. Finally.

_Better get my belongings and run home with hell at my heels._

Getting my schoolbag, I tucked my phone away and quickly patted down my clothes before slinging the schoolbag over one shoulder. As I headed out of the alcove however, a unfamiliar sensation ran across my abdomen. I froze and began to sweat.

_Shit, is the virus in me acting up already? What am I gonna do?_

Slowly, I looked down to where the feeling originated and mentally chided myself for overreacting. It turns out the foreign sensation across my stomach was the plastic threading on the strap was rubbing against my skin on what remained of the front of my t-shirt. I let out a fake laughter as I un-slung my school bag. "Wow Des, you're really overreacting." I examine my clothes closely. "Seems the only damage done was just the t-shirt. At least the hoodie isn't torn or anything." I mused aloud. I pulled up the zipper on my hoodie. There. At least I won't have to worry about other people looking at my torn shirt. More evidence to hide from the public about a kid now secretly infected. I feel like a criminal. Slinging my schoolbag back on, I make my way down from the alcove to a park trail and begin jogging.

* * *

Jogging down the trail was relatively uneventful as it was late at night. New York is known to be the city that never sleeps, but since it was almost midnight and school is still in session tomorrow, there were few people in the park to be seen aside from the occasional hobo sleeping on the bench or ledge. Although there was something strange that did occur. And it wasn't the environment. The strange event that occurred was the realization that I had been jogging at a speed of about 90% of my normal sprinting speed for a full 5 minutes and I wasn't even tired. No, I didn't even feel tired. I skidded to a stop and paused to check my heart rate.

_1...2...3...4...5..._

A loud screech is the only thing I hear before I find myself staring at the sky with the road against my back. I lay on my back slightly dazed, feeling numerous sore bruises on various parts of my body though none of them serious and the sore was quickly gone. _What the hell just happened?_ I can't seem to remember.

"Is he okay?" I hear a voice from the side. I see people starting to gather around me. Many of them looking curious, half of them worried for some reason.

"He's not dead is he?" One of the bystanders ask. "I'll go call the ambulance."

"Don't get your undergarments tied up into a knot people" a new voice broke in above the murmur. "No need for an ambulance, we don't want this poor lad to be mistaken for a corpse, then shipped off Gentek for research, or then be set up as a shooting target for Blackwatch. I just so happen to be a doctor who's currently off duty." I see an old man kneel down to examine me. He scanned me up and down. "Everything seems to be in the right place. No signs of bleeding or bruising. Limbs aren't sticking out at odd angles so nothing broken." He placed a finger on my neck to check my pulse.

"Son, are you alright?" The old man asked. I nod my head instinctively. I still had no idea what the hell happened and why I'm in this situation but if it keeps me from attracting more attention, then I would rather play along.

"Its alright people, the boy's alive, conscious, and uninjured. Give him a moment to recover and get on your way. I'll look after him and get him back home." he announced to the crowd. His words of assurance dispelled the crowd and soon the bystanders left, leaving only me and the doctor.

"That was quite stupid of you. Running out of the park all of a sudden and stopping in the middle of traffic." the man said.

I looked at him in disbelief. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me sonny, you ran into the middle of traffic, and got hit by a taxi that was turning around the corner. You were lucky to be hit at an angle that made you tumble over the car, otherwise you'd end up like some poor squirrel flat on the road." he explained.

I was speechless. I kept looking at the old man, then at the road, then back again.

"Are you okay young man?" the doctor asked, concerned if my actions were signs of more symptoms .

"No- I mean yes, physically. I just forgot to take my medicine this morning."

"Well its too late to take it now, sonny." the doctor said. "You'll have to remember to take it tomorrow morning."

"Can you stand?" the man asked. I feel like an idiot. A 17-year old kid who had narrowly escaped death by car accident should be nothing compared to the horror of having the mercer virus housed inside your body. And yet I'm shaken from the encounter.

"Um yeah." I say blankly. He offered me a hand for support. I grabbed his hand and shakily got to my feet, still shaking from the shock of my narrow brush with death.

"Can you walk?"

"I'm okay...just shaken up." I answer. My body was okay, but the sudden drainage of blood when I stood up made me feel weak. That revelation of how lucky I was still stuck and I was practically shaking at the knee.

"Very well then, we can start slowly." the doctor said, offering his arm for support. I grabbed it momentarily surprised by how sturdy his arm was and gingerly shifted my weight onto the arm. Once I was comfortable with the support, the doctor and I started to walk; him leading and me clutching his arm and following. I was nervous that the sight of me holding onto a old man for support while walking would attract more attention at first, but as time passed the lack of eyes watching me made me feel safer and stronger. Eventually my knees regained their strength and I was soon walking by myself along side the doctor. There was silence between us and my conscience was nagging me to show my manners so I broke the silence.

"Thank you for helping me out doctor..."

"Koenig, Anton Koenig. I'm the head virologist of Gentek."

I stopped to look at him. "Wait, really? YOU work for Gentek?" I stared at him in astonishment.

"Yes. Yes indeed." he confirmed with a small puff of pride. A doctor helping me out of a car accident was one thing, the doctor being a head of a research department for freaking GENTEK was something else. I felt the urge to run away as I was infected with the Mercer virus, but this could potentially give away my secret and looking at his friendly elderly expression tripped up a cloud of guilt in my heart. He looked to be one of those rare, compassionate kind-hearted people who still try to help the people despite working for an affably dark organization. Still, I'll have to be cautious from now on about the conversation topic.

"Wow Dr. Koenig. I never thought of you as to be the type of doctor that would be the head virologist of Gentek." I said "You seem to be more like a doctor suited for taking care of young children or one of those doctors who cares for pets."

Now it was his turn to be astonished. "Oh, really?" he asked. I nod my head in confirmation and smiled to make my statement more of a compliment. Dr. Koenig scratched his head in embarrassment. "I never thought anyone would look at me that way. Normally when I tell someone of my profession, they would either look at me with hate, rejection, or both." The doctor knit his brow as if scowling at the harsh memories. "But you're probably the first person who look at me in such a kind way." He beamed.

"But sadly, uh...um..."

"It's Desrow, Dr. Koenig. My name is Desrow Delanski." I answered. _Agg...where were my manners?_

"Ah, yes Mr. Delanski." Dr. Koenig continued, cutting my slot off for apologizing for my lack of introduction. "Uh sadly...I wouldn't make a great pediatrician nor a veterinarian." He frowned. "I can be abit frustrated with kids- especially their parents- and I'm allergic to cats. I would love to have those occupations but I found my place in virology, and I'm still enjoying it."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Dr. Koenig" I apologized. _This might be a bad topic to tread on._

"Please, Mr. Delanski. You can call me Mr. Koenig." He said. He had a crooked smile on his face, one of those similes that fit his lovable-senile-old-scientist personality and offered out his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Delanski."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Mr. Koenig." I took his offer for a handshake.

So the doctor is out then and Mr. Koenig is in, I guess. The cloud of guilt in my heart cleared up and it looks like I don't have to be uptight and paranoid then. Might as well walk the old man home or to his destination.

_You forgot about going home._

"Oh crap." I mentally smacked myself for getting sidetracked into talking with a Gentek scientist instead of getting home.

The doctor looked confused when he caught my expression. "Come again?"

"I have to get home ASAP. My mom's going to kill me."

"Well, do you need a ride son? I can certainly get you that." the doctor offered kindly.

"Thank you, but no thank you, my apartment is around this block Dr. Koenig." I say and start looking around for familiar landmarks to get my bearings, soon finding out where I'm at with the biggest clue right in front of me: my apartment building.

"Oh, my apartment is right here in front of me." Seeming to get the joke, both me and Dr. Koenig laughed at the strange irony.

"Well thanks for your offer Mr. Koenig, but it seems that I have found my destination and must face my mother." I restated my refusal to the offer and started to head for the main entrance of the building, searching for my keys.

"Wait, let me come with you!" I stop and see Dr. Koenig jogging towards me.

"I think I can help explain your situation to your mother" he said. "as a way to return the favor."

"Are you sure about this?" I ask him. "I do have a 5-year old sister, and my mom doesn't like it when I bring in guests without notice."

"Yes, I'm certain about this!" he exclaimed cordially "You've helped keep an old man company. I could sample a small slice of civilian life and hospitality. A good reminder of reality outside the lab."

Well if he says so, then I can't object to it. The door was already unlocked and minutes later after an elevator ride, we were already at the door. After taking the apartment key out from under the rug, I inserted the key into the lock and turned. It wouldn't budge,

"Hm. that's strange," I say, "must mean the door's un-" the door suddenly opened and I paled at the person at the doorway.

Mom.

Mom is normally a gentle woman, but as a mother of two, she is assertive and strict with a fiery temper. Proof of that being my manners being hammered into my brain and done even in the face of death or a face worse than the former. And right now, her temper is set to "fury worse than death", I would rather be dead by Alex Mercer than get an earful by mom.

"um...hi mom-"

_"_Ow!" I yelped and clutched my head from the sudden pain and my vision was suddenly directed towards my mom's feet encased in fuzzy slippers. "Mom!" I winced, cautiously looked up. Mom had a rolled-up newspaper in her hand_._ I'm afraid to tempt fate from a subconscious weather prediction of another whack to the head, but it didn't seem right for mom to hit me in the head without proper justification. "What was that for?" I said.

I got another whack to the head_._ _The weatherman was right._

"You come home at midnight, and this is what you get." My mom said sternly "Also you get no dinner, I'm already done cooking for today."

"What!" I complained. I try to get a word in but against my mother, it was useless.

"Desrow, I don't care if you got stabbed or got hit by a crazy taxi. You're getting no dinner. Go take a shower."

"Mom-"

"Shower. Now."

I hang my head in defeat. There's no use in arguing with her, I may be seventeen and nearly independent but I'm still a mama's boy at heart. That bruise made my mom refusing to fade even from my strange ability to quickly recover from grave injuries added the injury and insult to my embarassment. "Yes, mother." I started to depart for the shower. Behind me, I hear Dr. Koenig chuckling from the odd comedy which attracted my mom's attention to him.

"Desrow, who is this man you brought along?" she asked me.

"Oh pardon me! I was enjoying this little odd family comedy from the sidelines." Dr. Koenig answered before I got my word in. "Oh where are my manners, I'm incredibly sorry. I'm Anton Koenig."

"Hello Mr. Koenig, I'm Katherine Delanski. Would you like to come in for some tea?"

"Can I have some?" I chimed in, looking back.

"No."

_Darn it._

While my mom and Dr. Koenig chatted away, I resigned to head to my room and stripped myself of my dirty clothes (and schoolbag) while picking out fresh new clothes from my dresser. Heading into the bathroom, I turned the shower faucet up to its maximum heat, testing its temperature. It was still cold and suddenly while I had my hand in the shower path, this feeling of dread and fear spiked up in me. I quickly retracted my hand in an instant. And felt my heart racing at an unimaginable speed. And I was getting clammy with cold sweat.

_What the?_ I stared at the stream of running water in front of me. _What was that feeling? _Still, I want to take my shower. Mom told me so. I take a step foward towards the shower tub, and that fear welled up in my chest, stopping me. What is with me today? Why am I suddenly afraid of taking a shower? I mean, its just running water and I'm a fan of showers. I contemplate on my newfound primal fear. Everytime I urge myself to go under the curtain of water, my body goes against my will and stops me from stepping into the tub and under the shower.

"Desrow!" I jump at the sound of my mom from behind the door. "I know you're not showering, I can tell. Get going or else I'm not going to cook some food for you!"

"On it mom!" I holler back. I then turned to face the shower which has been running on hot for quite some time. I don't care if my new phobia gets me mentally traumatized or I get an allergic reaction from hot water, if mom is offering food at this time at night just to get clean, then I'm going to get clean. I willed up all of my mental courage and strength, and stepped though my fear and into the shower.

To describe my experience of taking that shower laconically, it qualifies as the fastest and scariest showers that I have taken of all time, ever. From stepping into the stream of water to wiping myself dry with towels, my instincts -and half my body- were practically screaming as if they were on fire. And the temperature of the water didn't help either as I took too long in waiting for the water to heat up and it was now at a scorching temperature. I would've adjusted the temperature to tone it down but the whole "dying on the inside" had me more concerned to get it done and get the fuck out of the shower than worrying about the water being too hot. The whole ordeal took about 10 minutes in total so when I walked out of the bathroom dressed in a t-shirt and pajama pants, I was shaking like a leaf, my heart was pounding, and I was red as a cooked lobster which in front of my mother and Dr. Koenig had Dr. Koenig snickering and my mom giving me a quizzitive look.

_Not funny Mr. Koenig. Not funny._

"Mom, I'm done with the shower." I deadpanned holding back my frustration for being Dr. Koenig's target of senile humor.

"Oh good honey, there's leftover chicken and mushroom soup on the stove." she said, motioning me towards the kitchen.

"Oh, well look at the time." Dr. Koenig announced after glancing at his wristwatch. "Mrs. Delanski. I thank you for your hospitality and tea, but it's getting very late and I must return to my apartment."

"Well that's fine, I'm certain you need your much needed rest after hours of research." replied my mom, ushering him to the door. "And you're welcome to visit us anytime during your off-hours Dr. Koenig."

"Thank you very much Mrs. Delanski. I very much appreciate it." He then looked at me and back to my mom. "Your son is a very lucky and talented man, Mrs. Delanski. I appreciate his company."

"No problem" I say.

"Well then, have a nice evening." With a nodd, he proceeded to close the door.

"Mr. Koenig" I blurted out. I almost forgot about it that thought. "Thank you for helping me out back there."

Dr. Koenig smiled. "You're welcome, Mr. Delanski. I am a doctor right? Its what I do." With a wave, he closed the door leaving only my mom and I.

There was a period of silence and I looked at my mom to watch her expression change from cheery to a stern frown. I stiffened, anticipating another earful of nagging.

"Dr. Koenig told me what happened at the park." she said, turning towards me and giving me the fingerpointer. I stiffened up even more, and I can feel the build-up of tears that were yet to be welling up in my eyes.

"You could've been killed from that." _Oh god no. Whatever ranting or punishment you'll unleash, make it quick._ I cast my gaze down at the floor, bracing myself for the next wave of stone cold sentences hurled at my head. Instead, mom pulled me in for a tight hug. She had tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank god you're okay. Don't scare me like that."

"I..I-I'm sorry mom." I freed my arms to return the hug to comfort her. "I'm sorry I kept you worried sick." Another round of quilt was growing in my chest. My eyes were now getting watery.

"What's done is done, Desrow." mom said, "Don't be so hard on yourself. In times like this, things happen and to survive we have to let go and keep moving." I swallowed the lump of guilt down my throat. The sage advice she gives out held some proof and beared a heavy weight on my shoulder as I take her words into my head for processing. She pulled herself out of the hug and laid a hand on my neck gingerly. "It's okay Des. It's now over."

"Okay mom." I smiled at her. And wiped off the tears in my eyes.

"You still have homework?" my mom asked, changing the subject. I contemplated my memories before answering.

"A little bit of homework." I answer.

"Alright hon, get some soup and work on your homework when you're done eating." she said, walking down the hall to her bedroom. "Annie's asleep so please keep quiet."

I nodded in understanding "Got it mom." I whispered.

"Oh and another thing." mom added. "I've taken your PS2, PS3, and PSP away so no Monster Hunter for a week."

She closed the door leaving me alone in the kitchen with a pot of leftover cooling chicken and mushroom soup. Only one word flowed into my head in the silence.

_Fuck._


End file.
